RE: Bears While Popup Camping

[RamblingWreck]

 
Last summer I was tent camping with DW, DD then age 7 and DS then age 5 in a state campground along the Cold River in western Mass.  An orphaned black bear cub, I m guessing 70 pounds worth, kept running through the campsite looking for food.  The sow had been hit by a car and killed.  
 
 DS is extremely active and almost impossible to keep an eye on 7/24.  DW and I decided to pull up camp and go on home before the cub had DS for lunch or dinner.
 
 I developed a severe case of popup envy during the trip, had to do with some rocks that kept getting under the mattress.  Which brings me to my question, what types of bear precautions should be taken while popup camping?  Are they about the same as those when tent camping?
 
 Rambling Wreck

[tlhdoc]

 RamblingWreck
You got it right.  You need to take the same percautions.  I try to cook outside where there is bear trouble.  You should keep food, pans, toothpaste, mouth wash, soap, and anything else that has an oder in your vehicle.  One SP we go to also says to cover your cooler in the vehicle, that the bears know what a cooler is and will try to get into your car to get one.  Happy Camping.[]

[rednekrubbrduck]

 RamblingWreck
I think some places won t even let you tent..or PU in their parks cause of the bears...you need a hardside.  A lot of these places have special " lock boxes"  for you to put your " bear bait"  away from your campsite to help keep you safe from bears.

[GeneF]

 RamblingWreck
Only place that I was ever concerned about bears was in Yellowstone National Park but then we are talking about grizzlies.
 
 Rules and guidelines were given and enforced by the park rangers.
 
 Most campgrounds tend to warn you if they have a problem with bears and will give you some do s and don ts.
 
 Living in NH, we do have a number of black bears in the neighborhood.  They like to see how many bird feeders they can destroy before you stop putting them back out.
 
 One rule I use, even at home, is that if I am going outside at night, I make sure I have enoiugh light to see ahead of me.  If not just for bears, but those little black and white striped critters.

[Starryart]

 RamblingWreck
Bears are a definite big caution flag! The log cabin I have near Crested butte CO has in the past been broken into by bears that are trying to get to the refrigerator. It is not just ice chests they know about and our frig was empty, clean, and dry.
 
 One ripped off the solid wood door shutter we padlock over our front door when we leave for extended times. Our neighbor s cabin was broken into 3 times in 2 weeks by the same bear. He went through the glass picture window. He also went after the toothpaste and sugar canisters there and pulled a kitchen cabinet off of the wall.
 
 If they are determined enough, even a dog won t stop them. Another neighbor had the bear trying to get in his place while he was there and his golden retriever was going crazy inside the house. It took a gunshot to get him to move on.
 They can be very destructive and dangerous.
     If you are not sure, ask the local forest rangers or DOW officials about possible bears and the cautions they suggest.

[Camping Coxes]

 RamblingWreck
We camped in Sequoia NP this past summer and there had been a lot of bear activity.  They said not to put anything that might have an odor in the trailer (soap, deoderant, box of graham crackers.)  Canned objects were fine, as long as they were out of sight.  We kept our curtains drawn when we were away or sleeping so they couldn t see the pots and pans.  Anything the bears can relate to food, they ll go after.  The campground provided bear boxes and we had no problems.  They said if you have an empty cooler or box, to leave it out and leave it open.  The bear will walk by, look in, see nothing and move on.  If it s closed, they ll assume it has food and rip it apart to get it open.  There were bears nightly through the campground and we had no incidents.  In fact, a sow and cub came through our camp area (within 10 yard or so) walking through the rocky hillside.  It was awesome!  You have to obey the bear rules and be smart.  A car is no barrier for a bear.  Most rangers have a display of pictures of cars damaged by bears getting in.

[Gone-Camping]

 RamblingWreck
We had one black bear get into the unzipped AAR one night while we were camping at Loft Mountain on Skyline Dr.... It seems one of the people in the group (3 families sharing 2 sites) left some food in a pan. It scared everyone, but when Kim started screaming, the bear took off too!
 
 It s always better to side with caution to prevent any trouble, but I wouldn t pack it in and leave because of a bear unless it was being a real threat. The cub you described should have been reported to Park Rangers for action.

[tlhdoc]

 RamblingWreck
I am sure glad the bears in PA usually aren t that aggressive.  I am happy to say that we haven t had any problems so far.  We did see a small black bear at Hickory Run SP, but other than that, no bears when camping.[]

[RamblingWreck]

 RamblingWreck
Rangers were aware of the cub s activities (they told us he was an orphan, etc.).  Their approach was to keep harasing the cub hoping he would move on to another locale.  As far as we could tell the harasment wasn t working.  For reasons known to them they were not keen on trapping and relocating or destroying the cub.
 
 In my experience, a hungry juvenile (input your favorite wild animal here) is more prone to press the envelope as far as human contact is concerned.  Hopefully, the animal is rebuked then grows older, wiser and changes his ways.
 
 Add a hyperactive 5 year old with poor judgement to equation and things can get nasty quickly.  A 5 D cell maglite flashlight and the truck s emergency key fob were the only defensive weapons we had in camp.  
 
 A Mexican stand off wasn t our idea of a fun vacation.  We felt it was time for someone to make a move.  As the bear was there first we choose to leave.  Plus there were these annoying rocks that mysteriously kept rolling under my air mattress at night and multiplying.
 
 Some folks we know from work were also staying there.  From their account that cub never did attack anyone.  Would the same have been true if we had stayed, we will never know.  One thing for sure, that cub and those rocks were not contributing to a real good time. (DS s close encounter with drowning while wearing a lifevest also played a role in our decision...but that s another story....)
 
 Take care,
 
 Rambling Wreck & DW

[MtnCamper]

 RamblingWreck
On my website is a picture of a paw print, On my truck window, probably about 4 or 5 feet from where I was sleeping. Does that count?

[copcarguy]

 RamblingWreck
I got some really good pictures of some bears that I saw at Hickory Run SP this past June.  Click on my webshots link and then look under " Hickory Run" ...  I have to admit, I slept VERY lightly when we were there!